Team Chaotix: Arkham Asylum
by Newbie-Spud
Summary: Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, and Charmy Bee are whom Gotham turns to when super-criminals abound. And today, they're delivering the Joker to Arkham Asylum, who has planned for them to be the guests of honor at a very special party.
1. A Serious House on Serious Earth

**Team Chaotix: Arkham Asylum**

Prologue  
A Serious House on Serious Earth

No one would deny that Gotham City had seen far better days than this. But if you went around asking people what they thought about today, you'd get rather varied answers – given that you could find an answer at all instead of a bullet to the face.

Today was different, some would say. In response, others would argue that today was completely run-of-the-mill – in _spite_ of the unusual circumstances. Gotham, a chaotic urban sprawl by any standards, was a hub of so-called "supervillains" and "normal" criminals besides. Every day, someone was shot, murdered, or robbed. Every week, a gang fight broke out between factions. Every month, some super-criminal had a plan to destroy Gotham City entirely. If the world were to end tomorrow, it would be no different from today.

To reaffirm their point, members of the first party would look out from under their umbrellas and point to the heavy rainclouds above. A skylight from the Police Department building was shining a familiar symbol into the sky. It was a little distorted by the contours of the cloud cover, but everyone in Gotham knew it by heart anyway.

Three swirling circles, arranged in a reverse triangle. That symbol meant two things for every Gotham citizen. One, something big was happening.

Two, some very special detectives were being called in for the job.

* * *

Police, ambulances, and other emergency vehicles were crowding the streets of Gotham. Police scanners were wild with reports of the latest action of the night.

Then, racing down the streets, came a large, expensive-looking van. At the same time, a female voice cut through all the chaos on the police scanners: _"All units, proceed to Gotham City Hall."_

The van swerved around a corner, shakily realigning itself on the road before some crudely-applied rocket boosters propelled the car faster down the street. Regardless, the police report continued, _"The Joker has been apprehended. Team Chaotix is now en route to Arkham Island."_

After a few near-crashes, the van was now safely on a straight, unoccupied road. It entered a thick forest of leafless trees, scattering leaves on the road as it sped by. The car passed a sign on the left side of the road, indicating that ARKHAM was straight ahead. Underneath it was a smaller yellow sign offering the subtitle, "Hitchhikers may be escaping patients."

The driver and its passengers sat in silence, save for the one in the very back of the van. The back seat had been modified to simulate the back of a police vehicle, complete with glass and metal grating to section it off. This section's single handcuffed occupant was a tall, sharp-looking man giggling to himself. He had bright green hair gelled straight up, perfectly white face-paint, and a red smile painted around his lips and across his cheeks. Combined with a purple pinstripe suit and an off-yellow dress shirt beneath it, the man was an otherwise unimaginable combination of colors.

To top it off, the man's mumblings seemed to complement his demented color scheme. "Stand back fool, I've got a bomb...! ...Huh? Oh, right. Hehehehe!"

After what seemed like an hour of this, the van passed through an iron gate prefacing the one and only bridge to Arkham Island. Faceless stone wraiths guarded either side of the main gate, and arcing over the road were the words "ARKHAM ASYLUM."

They would soon reach their destination.

* * *

Green lights lit up on a high security door, and the pressure lock disengaged. One by one, metal clasps lifted and retracted away from the door until the two slabs of steel were finally allowed to split open.

The door opened to a rather peculiar scene. The purple-suited man was knelt down on the ground in a daze, but the stranger imagery was situated right beside him.

Three creatures stood at the front door of Arkham Asylum's Intensive Treatment building. The most noticeable of them was a humanoid, brutish-looking crocodile creature with bright green skin. He was the largest of the bunch, and taller than most people by a few heads. Like most of them, his clothing was simple but stylized. Black headphones, a necklace of gold chain links, thick black bands at the cuffs of his white gloves, and heavy black boots.

Standing to the crocodile's left was a much, much shorter chameleon with purple skin. Even as he stood closest to the kneeling criminal, he barely managed to be taller. This one wore the fewest accessories, but the armor and bandages around his gloves and purple boots suggested a much more serious occupation.

Finally, hovering in the air over the crocodile's shoulder, there was a relatively harmless-looking bee creature wearing an orange jacket, orange boots with black trim, and orange goggles situated on top of his head. Compared to the crocodile's smugness and the chameleon's seriousness, the bee had by far the least threatening composure of the bunch.

These three, Team Chaotix, were delivering this criminal to Arkham Asylum.

With the moment well and truly past, the crocodile scowled and pulled the clown-like criminal to his feet with one enormous hand. The man stumbled to his feet but quickly regained his composure as he was led down the wide stone corridor. As he did so, guards in black wearing helmets and face masks kept their automatic weapons trained on him.

The criminal chuckled to himself as they neared the group at the end of the hall. At the front was a balding man with a stern expression and a jeweled cane.

As he was given one last push forward by the crocodile, the man's smile grew unnaturally wide before he said, "Hey, Sharpie! Love what you've done with the place."

"That's **Warden** Sharp to you," the man said simply, the tone in his voice showing that he had no intention of engaging in wasteful banter. He straightened his tie and looked to one of the guards behind him. "Boles!"

The guard in question was a short-haired man in his thirties, apparently no common officer seeing as he lacked a face mask. As he approached, the criminal – hands still held by the crocodile – kept the quips coming. "Yo, Frank_-ay_. How's the wife and kids? Ya miss me?"

Frank Boles snapped and grabbed the man by the collar. "Shut it, clown! A lot of people here really want to _talk_ to you."

There was no arguing that. This man – this clown-faced, purple-suited psycho – was none other than the Joker, one of Gotham City's most notorious supervillains. Mass murder, armed robbery, arson, torture – you name it, the Joker either perpetrated it or organized it with his endless supply of henchmen.

The Joker giggled as Boles dragged him over to a mobile restraint platform, a leather vertical seat with multiple restraints. As the guards undid the handcuffs, the Joker said, "Really, I don't mind _walking_." But, paying no heed to his sarcasm, the guards strapped him into the restraining chair anyway. His good humor never dropped, though, even as the metal restraints were put into place. "Not so tight, boys. You'll crease the suit!"

By that point, the Warden had heard more than enough of the Joker's wit. "Get that _filthy_ degenerate out of here," he ordered.

"Warden."

Quincy Sharp looked down to see the purple chameleon addressing him. "Something's not right," the chameleon continued. "I'd like to go with him."

The Warden simply nodded. Suddenly, the bee creature leaned over the crocodile's shoulder and shouted, "_What_?! _Why_?!"

But the chameleon was already walking through the open security door. The bee, full of hyperactive energy, looked frantically at the large crocodile. "Vector, can't we just go _home_ now?!" he demanded in a high-pitched, immature voice.

The crocodile known as Vector sighed, imagining himself more a babysitter than a detective right now. "C'mon, Charmy," he said at last, his voice deep, raspy, and cracking at odd points. "I'm with Espio on this one. Something. Ain't. _Right_."

And so, with security cameras watching their every move, Team Chaotix walked into the heart of Arkham Asylum's Intensive Treatment. Vector and Charmy quickly caught up with Espio, who was briefly questioning one of the guards.

"Is Commissioner Gordon here yet?" the chameleon asked. Unlike the others, his voice was smooth and regular, making him the best communicator of the three freelance detectives.

The guard didn't bat an eye at the short, humanoid chameleon speaking to him. "Yes sir, he's, uh, waiting for you guys at Patient Handover. He got here just before you did."

Espio nodded and rejoined his team, which then joined up with the Joker group. Two guards pulled at the front of the restraining chair while Frank Boles kept his weapon trained on the Joker. Two spotlights in the large room ahead shone of them as they entered the Intensive Treatment lobby.

The Joker kept his smile on as he looked around. "Sharpie loves his cameras. Hey, Sharpie! You getting my good side? Ah, but heck, they're all good, aren't they?"

Charmy Bee whimpered. He _really_ didn't want to endure more of the Joker's banter, but here he was anyway.

The Joker's convoy stepped onto a large elevator, taking them to the ground floor of the massive lobby room. As the elevator started to move, the Joker remarked, "Look at all this new security. _How's a guy supposed to break outta here?_"

Another annoying thing about the Joker: every once in a while, he'd lace a sentence with heavy-handed sarcasm or sinister intent. It would be obvious that he was implying something bad, but... in this case, nothing could be done because he hadn't _done_ anything yet. It was infuriating sometimes, but Espio and Vector were smart not to let it show in their expressions. No matter what, when they looked at the Joker, they only had blank scowls on their faces.

The Intensive Treatment lobby was large enough for many walkways on the sides surrounding a small lobby office, suspended a floor above the ground. The convoy passed beneath the office block and entered a security corridor.

The building's PA system sounded off a four-note tone – signaling an announcement – before a female voice monotoned, _"New patient in the Intensive Treatment lobby. All non-essential staff to vacate the area."_

"Oh, it's _always_ nice to return to sweet little _ha-ha-_hacienda," the Joker said, giggling at his own joke.

As they passed under the office structure, decontaminating sprays and cold air washed over the group. This was technically a medical facility after all, even if the dark stone and uninviting metal suggested an entirely different atmosphere.

They then entered a tunnel-like section, with red windows on either side. Security doors closed at the front and back of the hall, and a officer on the intercom said, "Tunnel's full! Start the scan!"

"Scan initializing," was the reply. The entire tunnel became tinted blue and bright scanning beams washed over the group in several passes, checking for any hidden objects.

"Y'know what?" the Joker mused. "I preferred the good ol' cavity search. Much more _personal_."

After a few moments, an alarm went off and the tunnel turned red for a moment. "Got a red light," a techie reported over the intercom. "Multiple prohibited items."

"I want Joker searched _again_!" the officer shouted.

"Uhh... It's not the patient," was the reply. "It's... um..."

All eyes turned to the Chaotix. In turn, Vector and Charmy shot meaningful looks at Espio. The chameleon simply shrugged, his eyes closed and not looking at anyone. "Hmph."

"Ooooh!" Joker called out. "Whatcha sneak in with ya, Essy? C'mon, tell me, _tell me_! Ninja stars? Ninja claws? ...Oooh, ninja _snacks_?"

"Scan is green on Joker," the techie announced, saving Espio the hassle of refusing Joker an answer.

"Open the gate! Get him outta there!" the officer shouted.

At that command, the gate in front of them opened up, allowing Joker, the guards, and the Chaotix to continue making their way through Intensive Treatment. Waiting with a gun up ahead was the black officer who'd been shouting earlier. "I want weapons on him at all times. Do _not_ let him out of your sight."

Joker dropped his cool demeanor for a single, sinister moment. "There'll be time enough for you later, Cash. Speaking of time... _tick, tock, tick, tock_. Is that a crocodile I hear?" Joker giggled evilly at that, but soon stopped himself. "Whoops! No offense, _Vector_."

Vector the Crocodile only glanced at the guard, Aaron Cash. Normally, Cash was one of the toughest guards at Arkham, save for one case... If you looked closely, you'd see that Cash had a metal hook instead of a left hand. He'd lost that hand to Killer Croc, a particularly bestial supervillain and currently an inmate at the Asylum.

Yes, there was awkward ground between Vector and Cash, to say the least.

The convoy rounded a corner and approached another security door. At the junction was another pair of guards standing in front of one of Arkham's doctors. It was a woman with short black hair. "Oh my," she mumbled quietly to herself as the security door opened up. "It's Joker."

"What's up, doc?" Joker greeted her as he passed. "Pencil me in for tomorrow at 4. _We've got a lot of catching up to do._"

They were now in the main transfer corridor. The room consisted of two parallel lanes separated by steel bars. As they walked through to take Joker down to the cells, televisions mounted on the central pillars came to life with the image of Warden Sharp in his office. _"Hello, new patient. This is Quincy Sharp, Warden of Arkham Asylum..."_ It was the standard introductory message for incoming patients, one that Joker had probably seen multiple times by now.

"Oooh, it's my favorite show!" the super-criminal exclaimed. "_I'm Warden Idiot. You'll never escape._" He giggled at his impression of the Warden, which had succeeded to unsettle Charmy even further.

Finally, the bee had to say something, anything. "How can a place this high-tech be this..." He searched for a word. "...ugly?"

Everyone else shot Charmy a dirty look, but the Joker laughed out loud. "I _know_, right!? What happened to the off-white walls and marble tiling?"

In the opposite lane, some more prisoners were being transferred by armed guards. These were muscle-bound thugs with clown-like designs painted on them. Joker's henchmen.

The henchmen noticed their boss on the way. "Hey, Joker!" "Yo, catch ya soon, Boss!" and chants of "Jo-ker! Jo-ker!" ensued, until the guard yelled at them to shut up.

Joker grinned as the henchmen passed, and then said out of the blue, "I'm telling you, the state of the wiring in these federal facilities is, well, shocking. My boys over there could have been hurt in that... _unfortunate_ fire."

Espio, Vector, and Charmy shared a glance between themselves, but said nothing in response to Joker's telling statement.

As they approached the next security door at the end of the hall, they were stopped by some more guards and a doctor. The doctor, a bald physician with a graying beard, said, "Just gotta check your prisoner, Officer Boles."

"Whatever, just be quick!" Boles replied, his fuse apparently short today.

"Only following procedure," the physician pointed out calmly. Stepping up to Joker and giving him a look over, he stated his observations. "Patient seems to be in satisfactory condition. Looks like he suffered minor lacerations, probably in the last two hours."

Vector couldn't suppress a little laugh.

The physician paused, noticing something else. "There... seems to be..."

Suddenly, the Joker was right in his face. "Boo!" He laughed up a storm as everyone flinched and no less than five guns were trained on Joker's body. When the moment passed, he finished it off by quipping, "Need to take my temperature? I'd be happy to drop my pants..."

The doctor had seen quite enough. "He's all yours," he growled. "Get him outta here."

The officer holding onto Joker's chair acknowledged him. "He's good," he called to the guards ahead. "Get the door open."

At length, the security door opened up, and Joker's convoy continued on its way. They were entering a large elevator room, where many other guards were already gathered. The four familiar tones sounded off on the PA once again. _"Alert in Intensive Treatment. Category 9 patient in transit. Pacification system active. Shoot-to-kill permissions granted."_

"You heard the lady," said one of the higher-ranking officers, a portly man with a mustache and a Brooklyn accent. "We've got another psycho on the way."

Charmy shuddered and hid behind Vector. He just wasn't prepared for all the tension in the air as the elevator rose up to their level.

Joker chuckled. "Can you _smell_ the excitement in the air? ...No? Must have been one of the guards, then."

The elevator had nearly arrived. The sound of heavy breathing echoed through the elevator shaft. There was something particularly _bestial_ about it. Vector quickly tensed up.

Joker did his best to look over his shoulder at the elevator, even though he was situated with his back to it. "Croc old boy, is that you!?"

The elevator smoked and sparked as it fought to climb the last few feet while it carried the hulking reptilian mass that was Killer Croc. But it finally did, and the door began to open.

"Get ready!" a guard said needlessly. "Keep your weapons trained on him at all times!"

Killer Croc, hunched over due to the low height of the elevator, slowly waddled out into the open and stood up to his full height, easily twice as tall as everyone there. There were broken shackles around his wrists and ankles, and there appeared to be a shock collar around his neck. By all accounts, he looked angry. That in itself was not unusual, but it meant everyone was imagining Killer Croc cutting someone in half before anyone could fire a shot.

A spotlight shone down into his eyes as he paused to look around. "What's it doing?" a guard asked nervously. After a moment, everyone had figured out the answer: Croc was sniffing the air.

The ground shook as Killer Croc turned around to face the group. Glowing yellow eyes focused on one subject in particular.

"I've got your scent, Vector," Killer Croc rasped through a wall of sharp teeth. "I will hunt you down..."

Orders carried through the chain of command, and the collar around Killer Croc's neck buzzed to life, sending electric shocks through the monster's body. Killer Croc resisted the best he could, but he was incapable of taking any action at the moment. Still, he glared at Vector with nothing less than hatred as he stomped away. "A toy collar won't stop me from killing you, Vector. I'll rip you apart. Eat your bones..."

Killer Croc was escorted out through the parallel security door, and everyone else watched for a moment as the rest of the guards followed him through.

"That reminds me," Joker said, breaking the tension. "I _really_ need to get me some new shoes."

"_Watch it_," Vector said tersely.

"Okay, move up!"

The Chaotix continued to follow as Joker was taken into the elevator. None of them were terribly relaxed about what they'd seen so far. While this was not their first delivery to Arkham, this _was_ their first grand tour through the facilities themselves. After seeing Killer Croc, they were all painfully reminded of just how many supervillains were locked up here. An entire rogue's gallery showcase...

The elevator finally began to lower. "Whee!" Joker squealed in the manner of an excited child. "Great night for a party!"

"Not where you're going," Espio responded.

Joker chuckled. "The night is still young, Essy. I still have a _trick_ or two up my sleeve. I mean, don't you think it's a little bit funny how a fire at Blackgate caused hundreds of my crew to be moved here?"

While the Chaotix pondered the implications of that statement, Joker just guffawed to himself. Boles glared at him and shouted, "I thought I told you to stay quiet!"

"Oh, Frankie..." Joker sighed. "You really should learn to keep that fat mouth of yours shut. _It'll get you into trouble._"

"Hey, tell me something," Vector said, moving forward so that his massive jaws were inches away from Joker's face. "You've never _once_ let us catch you this easy before. What're you really after?"

"Whew!" Joker said. "I'd tell you if I could see your face behind your big fat teeth, Vector! And if it's not too _bold_ of me, you'd also benefit from a Tic-Tac or twenty."

Vector made no response; insults were the usual knee-jerk reaction for Joker. But Espio was willing to take a turn in his stead. "We know you have something planned; you've practically _told_ us. That doesn't bother you?"

At this, Joker saw fit to roll his eyes. "Well, clearly. Geez, watch out for the World's Greatest Detectives, boys!"

The monitor on the left side of the elevator switched from the Arkham logo to another announcement from Warden Sharp. _"All patients should avoid contact with prisoners from Blackgate Prison Facility. Their presence in our institution is..."_

"But I suppose if I must answer," Joker continued, "I'd say my goals are pretty humble! Hundreds dying in pain and fear. All their meaningless lives brought to a horrifying conclusion. _All thanks to you and a book of matches._" Joker gave Vector one of his evil grins. "Was that the answer you wanted?"

Suddenly, the elevator stopped and the power went out, sending the entire elevator shaft into pure darkness. Joker cackled up a storm while everyone in the elevator panicked. No one could see what was going on.

"What's he doing?"

"Stay where you are!"

"Get a flashlight! Get a light on him!"

Joker kept on laughing his guts out until he was cut short with a _squelch_ing sound. The elevator twitched back to life, and the lights flickered back on. Vector had Joker's neck wrapped between only his thumb and forefinger.

"What?" Joker rasped, still smiling while he was being strangled. "Don't you trust me?"

Vector scowled and released Joker's neck, but not before slamming him against the headrest of the chair. As Joker caught his breath and recomposed himself, the elevator came to a proper stop.

"Our _guest_ has arrived," said a guard. They had reached the holding cells floor.

A guard outside moved to the control panel to open the door. As he did so, the female PA voice announced, _"Intensive Treatment floors are now at level Red Alpha."_

Joker's convoy starting moving again, and the Chaotix followed. More guards were there with guns trained on the psychopath. The guard who'd opened the door joined the convoy, regarding Joker with more hatred than hesitation. "So, you're back," he said. "You killed three of my crew when you busted outta here."

"Only _three_?" Joker remarked, laughing again. "I'll be sure to try harder next time. What say we aim for a hundred?"

The convoy passed through a security door and into a small lobby. Waiting at the front desk, working with a sign-in sheet, was a man all three of Team Chaotix were happy to see.

Charmy buzzed into the air and flew to the desk. "Commissioner Gordon!"

And so it was. White hair, glasses, an impressive mustache, and a sidearm strapped to the side of his gray vest and white shirt. It was hard not to miss him amongst the dark blues of Arkham's security force.

Espio smirked as Joker was carried on ahead. "Long night, Jim?"

Gordon smirked at Charmy and shook hands with both Vector and Espio. "Joker invades City Hall and holds the mayor hostage, leaving it to me to juggle SWAT teams, the media, and _you_!" As they walked down the hall after Joker, he said, "Yeah, it's been a helluva night."

"_Hopefully_," Vector said, putting extreme emphasis on the word, "the last one we'll ever have with the Joker."

* * *

A computer monitor displayed security footage of Joker's convoy as it made its way through the holding cell blocks.

The security officer in charge of this particular office was prone on the floor, either unconscious or dead. The current occupant was watching the feed rather impatiently, putting her two thigh-high boots – one red, one blue – on the desk.

"_Yeah, it's been a helluva night."_

"Hopefully_, the last one we'll ever have with the Joker."_

The saboteur grinned to herself. "Yeah, right!"

* * *

They finally reached Patient Handover, a checkpoint with a lobby room and a WayneTech security gate guarding a group of cells. The security gates basically created electric force fields, preventing patients or unauthorized personnel from passing through.

Waiting for them was a doctor and a security officer. "Hold it right there!" the officer called out as the Joker's convoy approached. "Sorry, guys, Arkham staff only."

Gordon wasn't entirely deterred. "I assure you, Espio is more than qualified..."

"Ah listen, I appreciate the assistance..." the officer interrupted, "but he'll unsettle the more violent inmates."

Joker was taken off the restraining chair and put back in handcuffs. "I think he was talking about _you_, Essy!" Giggling as he was escorted through the security gate, he said, "Don't be a stranger! You're _always_ welcome here. Gotta say, it's good to be back!"

Team Chaotix was forced to watch as Joker laughed his way down the ramp to the platform ahead. Commissioner Gordon noticed the grim faces of all three of them. "You okay?"

Charmy hopped off Vector's back and took flight. "He surrendered almost without a fight."

"He's got something planned," Espio agreed as they moved into the lobby.

Gordon wasn't too concerned. As they watched Joker through reinforced glass, he said, "At least he's back where he belongs."

The electric gate powered back up, cutting them off from Joker. Joker glanced back at the gate for a moment, then suddenly stumbled to his knees.

"Get up!" the guard shouted. "Now!"

Joker responded by slamming his head into the officer's jaw, breaking a few teeth and completely stunning him.

"Joker's loose!" Vector announced. "Tell the Warden!"

By this point, Joker was strangling the guard with his handcuffs. The doctor, seeing only one way to save the officer, started fumbling at the handcuffs. "Hurry!" Joker taunted him. "We're losing him, Doc!"

Vector slammed a massive fist into the reinforced glass, which cracked and buckled but didn't break.

The handcuffs were off. Joker let the guard collapse, and then kicked the doctor to the ground. As one last parting shot, he leaned over the unconscious guard's body and whispered, "The choke's on _you_."

Joker pranced around the holding cell platform, laughing and dancing like a little kid, before finally pointing up the ramp at the next security gate and shouting, "_Ta-daaa_!"

* * *

The super-criminal looked straight into one of the security cameras. _"Honey, I'm home!"_

"Come on in!" his partner in crime replied as she swiped a card through a nearby terminal.

* * *

The force field shut off. At that moment, Vector the Crocodile charged through the glass window and jumped onto the holding cells platform below it. Joker immediately dashed up the ramp and got behind the security gate, which reactivated as soon as he was clear.

Spreading his arms out, Joker announced, "Welcome to the madhouse, Team Chaotix! I set a trap, and you sprang it _**gloriously**_!!"

Vector, for the moment, was standing alone in the middle of the platform. But the force fields guarding a couple of the cells opened up, releasing three of Joker's muscle-bound thugs.

As the henchmen clenched their fists and approached Vector, Joker said in his most sinister voice, "Now let's get this party _started_."


	2. We Are Team Chaotix

Chapter 1  
We Are Team Chaotix

"Joker! Joker! Joker!" chanted the imprisoned Blackgate criminals.

Joker dashed into the opposite lobby and turned on the PA microphone in there. _"Ladies and maniacs,"_ he announced cordially, _"I apologize for this interruption to your regular entertainment. Up until a few seconds ago, I was going to kill everyone in the room and then watch cartoons, but then... well, you know how I do love a captive audience."_

The three released thugs, scowling with their clown-painted faces, spread out in front of Vector the Crocodile with their fists raised for a brawl. For them, this was a simultaneously thrilling and terrifying experience.

Sure, gunning down innocent civilians, looting public property, and vandalizing national buildings was no problem for these heartless gangsters. But now this was _Team Chaotix_ they were up against, the so far undefeated guardians of Gotham. Facing them was the ultimate challenge for a criminal, but the bragging rights for beating them would be the ultimate trophy.

So all three henchmen hesitated, filled with equal parts excitement and fear. Finally, one of them got up the gumption to charge at Vector and deliver a fast right hook to Vector's protruding crocodile jaws.

Then the fun started.

Vector caught the goon's hand in his own and punched the man in the face with a huge fist. He then followed up with two more punches, the last one sending the henchman sprawling onto the ground. Without missing a beat, Vector hopped to one of the flanking goons and slammed him with an uppercut, knocking him to the ground as well.

The third thug joined the fight while Vector was occupied and swung at the crocodile's exposed back. But as he threw the punch, Vector's tail swung up and deflected the man's arm. Vector quickly whipped around and smashed the side of the goon's head, knocking him down with a massive concussion.

The first thug started to rise to hit feet, but Vector wasn't going to have any of that. Still maintaining a free-flowing rhythm, he jumped over to the rising thug and slammed him back down to the ground. The thug, still dazed after the first strike, was completely knocked out by the second attack.

Moving quickly, Vector moved to the second stunned enemy and pounded the man's head against the ground, knocking his lights out. The third goon, having recovered enough to attack again, charged as the crocodile detective just began to rise to his full height.

In one swift move, Vector grabbed the thug's shoulder and vaulted over the henchman. The man stumbled forward while Vector ended up directly behind him. For the finishing move, Vector spun around, hopped up, and slammed the heel of his massive black boot into the side of the henchman's head. The thug was airborne for a few moments before hitting the ground in unconsciousness.

Vector rolled his shoulders a bit and looked at the three unconscious Blackgate thugs. He mentally replayed the battle in his head: counter, three strikes, counter, strike, ground pound, jump, strike.

A flawless eight-hit combo with four variations. Not bad for three opponents.

Up in the locked-off lobby ahead, Joker was neither ecstatic nor distressed. Simply cheery as usual. _"I'm just warming you up, Vector. FRESH from Blackgate Correctional Facility, with a combined sentence of 152 years...!"_

The security gates to the remaining cells powered down, letting four more Blackgate thugs out into the open. _"Ding ding ding ding ding! It's ROUND TWO!"_

Vector quickly moved to the center as the henchmen got their fists up and began to approach.

"Hey!" Charmy Bee called out. "Don't forget about us!"

The youngest Team Chaotix member buzzed through the broken window and sped toward one of the thugs. He slammed into the enemy's head feet-first, staggering him as the bee flew to Vector's side. Almost simultaneously, a small shuriken spun through the air and knocked another henchman upside the head. Then Espio stood at Vector's other side, appearing out of thin air like the chameleon he was.

Joker cackled over the intercom. _"Sorry, boys! Gotta run! I've got places to go, people to slay!"_ That said, he quickly dashed out of the lobby.

The four Blackgate criminals found themselves facing down all three Team Chaotix members. With two of their party still trying to recover their balance, the remaining thugs weren't sure how to attack.

Vector, Charmy, and Espio never let them decide.

Espio dispatched one of the dazed thugs with a backflip kick into the man's jaw, sending him sprawling backwards onto the ground. The diminutive chameleon then jumped onto the man's chest and pounded his head against the ground with his fist, putting him out for the count.

Vector bodily picked up the other dazed thug and hurled him into one of those still standing, sending both tumbling in a heap. Charmy, meanwhile, floated in front of the last henchman with his fists up. The clown-faced prisoner swung with a right hook, but Charmy floated out of the way. The bee then countered with two lightning-quick punches and a kick to the face, sending the enemy falling back onto the pile of thugs behind him.

Seeing this, Vector leaped into the air and landed an elbow drop on the entire group, sending one more shock through all three criminal bodies before they went unconscious.

"Yeah! Alright!" Charmy declared, holding up his hand for a high five. But now that the immediate danger had passed, the more pressing matter of Joker's escape from custody had returned. The high five went ignored. "Aww..."

The intercom buzzed to life again, this time from the lobby behind them. _"The system's jammed,"_ Commissioner Gordon reported. _"We're stuck in here. Joker's in full control of the security gates!"_

Espio turned to face the Commissioner, his expression entirely stoic. "Gordon, contact the Warden. Let him know what's happened." Then, facing the security gate ahead, he muttered, "We'll be back."

"_Don't make promises you can't keep, Essy!"_

The image on the monitors nearby switched to Joker running down a hallway somewhere in the holding cell area. The camera zoomed in on Joker's face as he stared straight into it. _"I'M in control of the asylum. You're not going anywhere I don't want you to. Understand?"_

Charmy buzzed up to one of the monitors in a fit of anger. "Hey! If you think we're going to let you run...!"

"_Bleah, bleah, bleah!"_ Joker taunted back._ "Always with the hero spiel! Ooh, I'm getting bored of watching you..."_ He paused, and a wide grin grew on his face. _"Why don't you come find me?"_

The monitor feed cut out. The security gate in front of them powered down, the electrical barrier no longer obstructing the path ahead.

"_You know it's a trap,"_ Commissioner Gordon stated matter-of-factly.

Vector grimaced. "Yeah, yeah, of course it is," he growled, pushing the matter aside. "Alright, let's go."

The trio dashed up the ramp and into the hallway ahead. Immediately to their left was the lobby Joker had given his commentary from, but it was now empty. His sinister laughter still commanded the space, though, thanks to three roaming sets of chattering teeth that were playing the sound.

Espio held up a small shuriken and threw it toward one of the chattering teeth. It split apart at the hinge, falling silent and broken. Two more of these completely silenced the room.

They continued moving down the hall, and a metal security gate opened up for them. As they rounded the corner to the right, they were greeted with a gruesome sight: the bodies of guards strewn about the floor, and another set of chattering teeth.

Espio stopped just to destroy the teeth. "Everywhere that madman goes," he said as he continued on, "death is sure to follow."

Charmy faltered a little more, lacking Espio's or Vector's steel resolve. "They never stood a chance..."

"C'mon, let's speed up!" Vector shouted.

The group ran full pace down the long hallway, only barely noticing the television monitors above them as the face of Warren Sharp appeared: _"All patients should take their medications at the prescribed times each and every day. Prescribed doses must b-"_

The feed cut out to show the standard Arkham logo. _"Warning. Security breach in level B3. Warning. Security breach in level B2."_

And so it went on as Team Chaotix went around another corner and came to a T-junction in front of them. As they neared the junction, two of Joker's thugs rounded the corners with their fists up. "Whoops!" Vector called out as he smacked their heads simultaneously. Charmy and Espio were quick to finish the job, tripping the henchmen to the ground and pounding them into unconsciousness.

Espio entered the junction proper, and heard a set of chattering teeth on the left path. He was quick to dispatch it.

Further down that path, a guard was just getting to his feet in front of a security door. "Hey... Hey guys! Chaotix!" he called out to them. "Over here!"

The trio approached the guard, and Vector asked, "What's your name?"

"Eddie Burlow..." the guard replied, still somewhat dazed. "What happened?"

"_Joker_ happened," Vector answered. "You're probably lucky to be alive."

Eddie looked to the security door behind him. The red lights in the center indicated that it was locked. "He must've gone this way! Door's jammed... I'll try to get it open."

There was a rush of static from the walkie-talkie strapped to the guard's shoulder. _"We need... in Pacification. I repeat: We... backup in Pacification. Can anyone hear this?"_

Eddie pounded the device a few times. "Can you hear me? I'm with Team Chaotix! Hello?"

"Where are they?" Charmy asked.

"Back down there," Eddie replied, pointing down the path on the other side of the junction. "Do you need help?"

Espio shook his head. "No thanks. We work better as just the three of us." Vector and Charmy nodded in agreement.

"_Zsasz is free!"_ the walkie-talkie crackled again. _"...Oh God, he's got Mike! GYAAAAYAARGHB-"_

The signal suddenly cut off. Eddie whacked it again. "Frankie, can you hear me? If you can, help's on the way!"

Espio, Charmy, and Vector dashed back down the hall. The alarms and lights sounding out throughout the hall kept them tense and ready for another ambush. Just as they reached the left turn, though, Vector suddenly stopped. "Crap, I knew I forgot something!"

The other two gave him confused looks.

Vector held a hand up to his headphones. "Oracle, can you hear me?"

"_Loud and clear. What's up?"_ came the radio reply, a young woman's voice.

Oracle was the codename for Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara Gordon. At one point, she'd been working closely with Team Chaotix behind her father's back to hunt down criminals. But that part of her career ended when the Joker shot her in the spine, paralyzing her from the waist down and confining her to a wheelchair. But the condition did nothing to her resolve – she quickly assumed the role of Oracle, using her computer skills to become Team Chaotix's liaison and information broker.

Vector quickly filled Oracle in on the basic situation. "Joker's escaped custody. He's running free in Arkham."

"_Do you need anything? Is my... dad still there?"_

"Commissioner Gordon is safe," Espio assured her. All three of the Chaotix had communication equipment, though Espio's was cleverly concealed.

"Joker hasn't gotten too far yet," Vector stated, starting to move down the hall again. "We'll stay in contact." And with that, he dropped the communication line.

The hallway brought them through another security door and into the Patient Pacification area. Up ahead, two guards were looking through a force field gate at someone the Chaotix couldn't see.

One of the guards, a higher-ranking black officer named Zach Franklin, saw them as they entered. His eyes filled up with equal parts relief and panic. Quickly moving to meet them, he said, "Thank God. It's Zsasz. He's got Mike; he's strapped in the chair! Zsasz has totally lost it!"

The three Chaotix shared a look. Espio looked back at Zach and said, "Alright. You stay here."

"You can't!" Zach exclaimed, trying to keep his voice low. "He'll kill Mike if he sees anyone trying to get close!"

As if to support this point, the insane criminal started to speak from past the force field. "I smell a crocodile, hear a bee's buzzing, or _**SEE A CHAMELEON...!**_" – Zsasz took a moment to calm down after his impulsive outburst – "...and this guard... _dies_. DO YOU HEAR ME?"

On the last sentence, he brought his thumb down on the trigger he was holding. The lights dimmed a little as the helpless guard received electric shocks for a few seconds. Zsasz descended into childish giggles at the guard's cries and spasms. "Ooh... Look at the pig _fry_!"

Espio scowled. "He _won't_ see me."

Leaving Charmy and Vector behind, the ninja chameleon quickly moved past the force field gate and entered a security room on the side. There was a flight of stairs leading up, which he took immediately. The stairs led up to an upper floor and a balcony of sorts, which was lined with computers, filing cabinets, and monitors that offered a downward angle on the platform Zsasz was standing on.

Zsasz was an especially gruesome-looking asylum inmate. He was dressed in red shorts and wore red bracers on his arms with many broken locks hanging off them. But the most defining feature on his body were the innumerable scars all over him. Blood red tally marks covering nearly every inch of his body – his arms, legs, chest, back, and head. He was an infamous master of knives.

Espio passed by one of the doctors at a computer, an old woman with the name "Gretchen Whistler" on her nametag. "Zis is disgraceful," she muttered with a heavy German accent. "How did a patient like Victor get free?"

"We can worry about that later, doctor," Espio replied, only briefly glancing at her.

As he walked on, Dr. Gretchen added, "He vants to kill ze guard, you know. He _needs_ to kill ze guard."

Espio finally came to the balcony, where two other guards were looking down on the scene. He made sure to stay back a bit and be quiet, understanding the gravity of the situation. One of the guards looked back at him pleadingly, but said nothing. They were too close to Zsasz; he might figure out Espio was up there.

The ninja looked around at the walls and ceiling. A huge electric generator spouted from the ceiling and overshadowed the brightly lit platform below. Zsasz would definitely see him coming on the ground... so he needed to stay up high.

After peering into the dim light for a few moments, he found his answer: stone gargoyles jutting out from the walls. He motioned for the guards to be quiet, and started to make his move. Calling upon his inherent ninja speed and grace, he jumped from the platform to the first stone gargoyle without so much as making a sound. He ran along the wall to the second gargoyle, and leaped to the final gargoyle at the back of the room. Espio was now situated directly behind Zsasz.

The ninja took a moment to resolve himself. This needed to be precise.

Espio jumped high into the air... and plummeted onto Zsasz's head feet first. The insane inmate went sprawling to the ground in a daze. Knowing he would only be down for a moment, Espio hopped onto the man's chest and pounded his head into the ground, finally putting him down for the count.

The crisis was over. "Someone!" Espio shouted. "Put this _animal_ back in his cell!"

And with a heavy sigh, he turned around and walked toward the back of the platform. These insane types really did get on his nerves. It was almost disgusting.

"_Can you hear me? Is this thing on?"_

"Speaking of animals..." Espio growled as he looked up at a large group of monitors on the wall. They were all dominated by one single image: a shaky video feed of a blond woman with pigtails and clown makeup trying to steady a camcorder.

The young woman stepped back from the camera. _"Oh hiya, Espio. Harley Quinn here! How do you like my new uniform?"_

Harley Quinn, Joker's second-in-command, twirled to show off her outfit. It was a tight, form-fitting parody of a nurse's outfit, with an insanely short skirt that barely hung off her hips and very high boots. She was also holding a cane in her left hand.

"_Pretty hot, huh?"_ she remarked in her high, valley girl tone. _"Oh, I got something to show you!"_ She started to run out of the frame._ "One second, Essy!"_

As she left the frame, Vector and Charmy joined Espio on either side of him.

The first thing to reenter the frame was Warden Sharp, spinning in a rolling office chair with his hands tied to the armrests and his mouth sealed by a large strip of duct tape. As an added touch, a Joker-esque smile had been drawn on the duct tape with a red marker.

As Harley Quinn came back on, it was clear that the cane she was holding was the Warden's. _"I'm now subbin' for the old man! Old Sharp has never been happier!"_ She kept grinning as she shook the Warden's head and placed a knee in his lap. Then she walked around to address the camera directly. _"In case you ain't figured it out, today's the Joker's big homecoming and YOU'RE the guests of honor!"_

Vector removed the hand covering his eyes in annoyance. "Alright, you've got one chance to surrender, Quinn."

"_Tempting, Vector,"_ Harley replied, _"but no dice. Now the inmates are running the asylum!"_ She paused for a moment. _"Well, technically the Joker's goons shipped in from Blackgate, but you get the idea."_

Charmy flew up to the screen. "You little...!"

"_Bye-bye for now! Hya!"_ And with that, Harley Quinn whacked the camera with the cane, destroying the video feed entirely.

Espio just closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This wasn't good. Things were getting out of hand very quickly.

"_Chaotix, you picking this up?"_ Oracle announced over their communication line.

Vector stepped away from the guards that were tending to the situation and placed a hand on his headphones. "Yeah, Oracle. We're here."

"_Arkham Asylum just vanished off the network!"_ Oracle informed them.

Espio joined the conversation. "Joker's in control of the security system. He's probably isolated it from the grid."

"_That's not all he's done,"_ Oracle added. _"All police feeds are reporting he's placed bombs all over Gotham. Says he'll detonate them if anyone sets foot on Arkham Island. It's being suppressed at the moment, but the story will break anytime now."_

Charmy somehow found that amusing. "Ha! That's just a diversion."

Oracle was skeptical. _"How do you know?"_

"No, Charmy's right," Vector admitted. "That's Joker." And with that, the conversation ended.

The crocodile surveyed the room. The Arkham staff were working to stabilize the situation. There was one officer dead, the first one to fall to Zsasz in the initial breakout. Zach Franklin and another Arkham guard stood over his body.

Dr. Gretchen Whistler was tending to the guard that had undergone Zsasz's shock treatments. The guard seemed to be unconscious, but alive.

Another guard was frantically trying to contact the security office through the radio. The force field behind them had shut off, which meant they were trapped in the room until someone let them out... or so Harley Quinn thought. She'd never been very bright.

"Hey, Vector," Espio said, standing at the corner of the room to the left of the monitors.

"Yeah, Espio?" Vector answered, following his gaze.

The chameleon was looking at a massive steel grate that was guarding a big air vent. Not only was the facility large, it was very, very old. It used to be the mansion and grounds of a man named Amadeus Arkham, who had dedicated his life, his home, and his work to curing the criminally insane.

The Warden had only recently retrofitted the facility for greater security, but these massive air vents were an integral part of the original structure, and therefore unavoidable. No ordinary patient was going to break through the grate, but...

"You think you could fit through there?" Espio asked. There was no doubt he and Charmy could, but if Vector was stuck here...

The humanoid crocodile knelt down, sizing himself up to the brightly lit air vent beyond the grate. He thought about it, tilting his head from side to side, before standing up and nodding. "Yep. Leave it to me."

Vector knelt down, grabbed the edges of the grate, and started to tug. The steel groaned as it resisted the massive crocodile's pulling, but it soon failed as a corner bent away from the wall, sending one of the bolts flying. Finally getting a proper handhold, Vector easily slid the other three corners away from the wall and put the grate to the side.

"Yay!" Charmy cheered. "Let's go!"

As the other guards in the room marveled at the makeshift exit they'd found, Team Chaotix entered the ventilation shaft one by one and traveled through it. Charmy and Espio, at the front of the line, hardly needed to lower their heads, while Vector had to stay in a full crouching position. But it was a comfortable fit.

The vent was a maze, weaving right and left with a number of uphill climbs. As they made their way through, Oracle contacted them on their communicators. _"Chaotix. I'm patching you into the guard radio feed."_

The audio changed to a lesser-quality feed, with the faint echoes of gunshots in the background.

"_Steve, more Blackgate prisoners! By the boiler!"_

"_Who's that behind them? ...Oh my God. It's Joker. He's FREE! How did he break out!"_

The audio suddenly switched back to Oracle's channel. _"Sorry, feed's down. Comms are up and down like crazy. It's not good. I'll keep trying."_ The communication ended there.

They finally came to an exit, though it was blocked by another grate. There were a couple of nooks for Charmy and Espio to move aside to as Vector moved up to the grate. He put his big black boot up to the grate and pushed as hard as he could. The grate came loose, and Vector gave it one mighty kick to send it flying off.

The vent had taken them back to the processing corridors, right above the locked security door and Eddie Burlow. Just as the grate flew off, the security door opened, and Eddie Burlow immediately dashed through and around the corner.

To Espio's irritation, three more of Joker's chattering teeth were rolling about on the floor just past the doorway. He dispatched them with shuriken as they moved by.

The four-tone announcement jingle rang from the PA system. _"Warning: Decontamination Room. Toxins detected."_

Team Chaotix rounded the corner to a disturbing site. Eddie Burlow stood in front of a viewing window into the next room. A green smoke billowed against the window, while the people within the smoke alternated between choking and pained laughter. The light were red on the security door to Eddie's left.

Eddie pounded on the security door, and then looked through the window with a terrified look on his face. "It's sealed. No way in or out. Dammit, they're trapped in there!"

A metal panel rose up to seal the window shut. _"Warning: Decontamination Room. Area sealed."_

Eddie Burlow frantically searched through the smaller viewing window. "What _is_ that stuff?" he asked, referring to the green gas filling the next room.

Vector scowled. "Joker toxin." Pulling the officer back, he said, "Listen! The room is full of poison gas. Anyone caught in there is dead!"

Eddie pulled away. "You gonna get in there and help them, Chaotix? Anybody?"

Charmy looked up, and suddenly looked determined. "I got this!"

The bee flew straight upwards, where there was an open ventilation shaft in the ceiling. The vent led to a larger junction room, and the next section of the vent was shut off with a grate.

Back down in the room, Eddie looked through the window with steadily increasing horror. "I think I can still see people alive in the room!" he wailed. "Oh my God! They're all dying in there!"

"Just stay calm," Espio advised him. "Charmy's working on it." He looked up at the ventilation shaft and shouted, "You alright up there, Charmy?"

Charmy grimaced. "Just... fine!" He pulled on the grate with all his might, his bee wings buzzing as he worked to loosen the tight steel structure from the wall.

But with a pop, a bolt finally gave way. While nowhere near Vector's level of strength, Charmy was also a force to be reckoned with. He had enough power to lift up both Vector _and_ Espio into the air, no small feat by any measure.

The young bee detective pulled out the rest of the grate and set it aside with a sigh of relief before continuing through the vent. While he moved on, however, he had a sudden rush of perspective. Here he was, working his way into a room filled with Joker toxin... a room that was a respectable distance away from the holding cells.

This wasn't a simple escape attempt. Joker had been planning this. Not only had Joker pulled strings to get his Blackgate thugs into the asylum, he'd probably planted agents in the asylum's security to release those thugs when Joker made his escape, thus setting all these traps and obstacles into motion.

Charmy frowned as he came to a grate covering his exit. They were in for a long night.

After some serious pushing, Charmy managed to get the grate off the wall. He was in the Decontamination Room, or rather in the maintenance area above it. Steel grating separated him from the floor of the room by ten or twelve feet, and the green Joker toxin had filled the room to that elevation.

"Please help me!"

There was an Arkham guard clutching for dear life at the edge of the grating. Charmy quickly flew over to the guard and pulled him up from his collar, placing him safely on the platform. "You're going to be fine," he assured the guard. "Stay here."

Charmy jumped across a gap to the next section of grating, which was bordered by a ventilation shaft coming straight down and running along the edges. There was another guard on the platform, looking up at his friend desperately hanging from the maintenance platform high above them.

An explosion shook the room as a light fixture blew off the wall underneath the desperate guard. Still, his friend next to Charmy tried not to look fazed. "Charmy's here!" he shouted. "Just hold on a little longer, Steve!"

"I... can't!" the guard cried out. "I'm gonna fall!"

Charmy immediately flew up to the guard and grabbed him from the back of his uniform, lifting him up to the platform. "Don't worry, I gotcha," he said reassuringly. "I'm going after the one who did this."

"Charmy!" the guard below them shouted. "The extraction system! Steve was trying to get to the control panel at the end of the room!"

The bee nodded and continued flying across the room. There was another grated platform some distance below, near the wall. And there was a Blackgate thug barely hanging off its edge.

The criminal was panicked. "...I can't believe he left me here! That son of a..."

Charmy landed on the platform beside the henchman and grabbed the back of his shirt. He lifted the Blackgate thug to safety on the platform. Surprised, the thug looked up at him and opened his mouth to comment, but Charmy slammed his fist into his head before he could say anything. The goon's head bounced off the platform, rendering him unconscious.

With that done, Charmy turned his attention to the extraction system controls. He could see them now, a wall panel tucked away in a little side office. But it was submerged in the Joker toxin.

Charmy sighed. If Espio was up there, they could try whacking it with one of his shuriken. But he didn't have any such implements, so he only had one option. And he didn't like it.

He steeled himself, placed a hand over his mouth, and buzzed right into the toxin. Flying fast, he slammed his foot into the controls – breaking through the glass – and immediately flew back out.

It did the trick. The room filled with noise as hidden engines powered on, slowly accelerating the fans within the room. The fans sucked in the air and – living up to their namesake – extracted the Joker toxin. Soon, all the green was gone.

The announcement voice came back. _"Attention. Air purity is now at normal levels."_ But that was immediately followed by the Joker's insane laughter, starting off as a sinister chuckle and building up to full-blown evil laughter before cutting off.

"_Attention. Decontamination Room access is now granted."_

The security door at the front of the room opened up, and Eddie Burlow immediately rushed out. "Yeah!" he cheered. "Go Charmy! You _rock_! Joker doesn't stand a chance!"

Charmy just put on a sheepish grin as Vector and Espio came through. His fellow Chaotix were equally impressed, though Charmy knew that they hadn't expected anything less from him.

As they dashed down the room's central corridor, Vector said, "You ready to keep goin'?"

"Yeah," Charmy replied, nodding and flying down to the group.

They passed through another security door. The Chaotix found themselves in a series of hallways lined by offices with tinted windows and barred doors. On one of the doors in front of them, the words "HA HA" had been spray-painted in green. There were also green arrows spray-painted on the ground, leading through the transfer loops.

"What are you waiting for? I'm so close you can almost _taste_ me!" Joker's voice echoed. But it wasn't coming from the PA system; it was actually his voice echoing from somewhere close by.

Espio destroyed a nearby set of chattering teeth as the Chaotix ran down the hallways at full pelt, following the freshly spray-painted arrows. But as they rounded the corner into the first loop, a pair of Blackgate thugs came running towards them.

Vector was quick to react. He dashed forward and slammed his boots into the first goon, knocking him over, and then punched the second one a number of times. But he left the second one standing while he went back for the first henchman, picking up the enemy's body and tossing him into the other one. The both of them fell into a dazed heap, and Espio ground-pounded the both of them to make sure they wouldn't come looking for them again.

They were quick to resume the chase. The arrows led them into one long corridor heading towards a security door, with a stenciled, evil-looking Joker face spray-painted onto the door. Espio took out the one set of chattering teeth in the hallway as the three detectives approached the door.

Almost immediately, the security door opened up. The room in front of them was large and spacious, with an office on either side separated by grating and force field gates. The room gave way to a massive abyss, over which the Joker was precariously situated.

Joker was standing on a portable isolation cell made of thick steel, suspended over the abyss by a massive chain connected to a track on the ceiling. The purple-suited, clown-faced supervillain merely grinned as the Chaotix stepped into the room, smugly taunting, "What took you so long?"

In one moment, Espio's hand was up and flat, with a single shuriken between the tips of his fingers. The next moment, Joker had to duck as that shuriken zipped through the space his head previously occupied, bouncing off the massive chain behind him.

"You're not getting away, Joker!" Vector growled, stepping forward. "We're gonna get you..."

"Ooh, I'm _counting_ on it!" Joker replied playfully, then angrily added, "Just not _yet_!"

Joker stomped his foot on the top of the cell. Steam vented, cylinders lifted, and wheels turned as the massively secure cell door was released, tilting forward and crashing into the ledge in front of the Chaotix.

Charmy yelped and flew behind Vector, barely peeking at the opened door over the crocodile's shoulder. Espio and Vector took a few reflexive steps back.

"Oooh. He's a big one!" Joker noted with glee.

A massive clawed hand grabbed the edge of the cell, pulling the massive body forward. It was a massive, monstrous mutant, a human body grown to ten feet tall with absurd muscular growths everywhere. Spikes of bone stuck out of its elbows and spine, and its veins pulsed with a sickly green fluid. The mutations were imbalanced – its right side was bloated full of muscle, with the shoulder reaching as high as the top of its head, while the left side was relatively scrawny and sickly while still muscled and powerful. And its face was a picture of animal rage: face flushed red, eyes wide, and mouth stretched open into a permanent bare-toothed snarl.

The mutant let out a roar and leaped from its cell, landing in front of the Chaotix with a crash that shook the whole room. Joker just cackled as Team Chaotix got into a fighting formation.

This monstrosity was already prepared to tear them apart.


End file.
